LESS ADVERTISING, MORE FREE LUNCH: First Lady Michelle Obama will unveil a proposal today that would ban marketing junk food and sodas in schools. That means no vending machines with pictures of sodas, posters with unhealthy food or cafeteria cups illustrated with logos for high-calorie beverages. “The proposal — part of an updated school wellness policy crafted by the Department of Agriculture — would require marketing of all food and drinks to fall in line with the same healthier standards that are expected to be required of foods sold during the 2014-15 school year,” Pro Agriculture’s Tarini Parti writes. “Both sets of measures, which go beyond the new school lunch and breakfast requirements, stem from the 2010 Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act.” The story: http://politi.co/1hkj7x4.

Story Continued Below

— Universal free meals for more districts: The first lady will also announce that all children in school districts where 40 percent or more students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches will receive free meals to reduce stigma for kids and paperwork for schools, according to administration officials. The federal funds needed to support universal free school breakfast and lunch for those districts were already included in the 2010 law.

TODAY: NEW GUIDANCE ON DATA PRIVACY: New guidance about student data privacy is expected from the Education Department. Education Secretary Arne Duncan made the announcement Monday during a summit hosted by Common Sense Media. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act all set tough restrictions on how student information can be used, Duncan said. “But these are complex issues, and the field is developing rapidly — which is why we’re committed to stepping up the pace at which we provide guidance to help school systems and educators interpret the law, including examples of best practice.” Duncan said to expect more in the coming weeks. In mid-January, Duncan sent Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey a letter addressing the senator's concerns about student privacy: http://politico.pro/1eKE1ol.

— The Software & Information Industry Association has released best practices for protecting student privacy, too. See more: http://bit.ly/1mDQe4l.

GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, FEB. 25. Welcome to Morning Education. Today in higher ed history: Southern Methodist University’s football program got the NCAA “death penalty” 27 years ago today. A documentary on the scandal is streaming on Netflix: http://nflx.it/Mq4ixD. Keep in touch with your story ideas: lnelson@politico.com and @libbyanelson. Events: educalendar@politicopro.com. And follow us on Twitter: @morning_edu and @POLITICOPro.

DEFINING ‘CONSENT’: An Education Department panel codifying changes to the Clery Act, a campus safety law, on Monday waded straight into a sticky question: How to define “consent” in a sexual context. The draft definition says an individual cannot give consent if they're "asleep, mentally or physically incapacitated,” among other stipulations, but the Education Department suggested that negotiators consider achieving further clarity about "mentally or physically incapacitated." The terminology could prove too vague, some said. One negotiator said the addition of "unconscious" or "semi-conscious" might help. Rulemaking wraps up today and reconvenes for a final session March 31. No time to sit in the department’s eighth floor conference room? The American Association of University Women is liveblogging: http://bit.ly/Ov5Zfh

— A lighter moment from the Education Department: Input during the rulemaking process from survivors of sexual assault or stalking was poignant. But Acting Under Secretary Jamienne Studley offered some laughter and an apt analogy when she said had just come from getting her teeth cleaned — and added she knows many liken the negotiated rulemaking process to a trip to the dentist. But as a former rulemaking alternate, she’s a true believer in the proceedings, she said.

THE LIBERAL KOCH BROTHERS? Jim Steyer, founder of Common Sense Media, says he’s joining younger brother Tom in the political arena, raising “many millions” for political advocacy on issues affecting children and families. (Tom Steyer will focus on climate change.) The strategy, from Stephanie Simon and Caitlin Emma: “Nearly a million parents and 145,000 teachers subscribe to ratings services he runs to assess the quality of children’s TV programs, video games and educational apps. Jim Steyer sees them as an untapped political force.” More: http://politi.co/Mq745X.

HOW A SUPPOSEDLY ‘POSTRACIAL’ AMERICA LOOKS ON CAMPUS: Increased attention to racially charged incidents has highlighted tensions on campus. From The New York Times: “Racial tensions are playing out in new ways among young adults… The number of complaints related to race and ethnicity filed against colleges and universities rose to 860 in 2013 from 555 in 2009, according to the Office for Civil Rights at the federal Education Department. Some experts believe that the increase reflects, at least in part, the role of social media in creating and then publicizing episodes.” More: http://nyti.ms/Mq9b9Z.

BUDGET COMMITTEE TO HEAR FROM SCHOOL WORKERS: An Ohio teacher, a Florida school food service worker and Center for American Progress President Neera Tanden are the three witnesses scheduled to testify on the state of the middle class before the Senate Budget Committee this morning. The hearing, organized by committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, will investigate the ongoing effects of the recession. The food service worker, Edith Kimball, will touch on the Senate’s issue du jour: minimum wage. Kimball earns the minimum wage at her cafeteria job and estimates that a wage increase could boost her family’s income enough to open a college savings account for her three kids. The hearing begins at 10:30: http://1.usa.gov/1o2oSQT

**A message from POWERJobs: Jobs on our radar this week: DC Policy Counsel at Common Sense Media, Director of Communications at Communities in Schools and Boston College Analyst for Business Technology at Deloitte. Interested? Apply to these jobs and more at www.POWERJobs.com; finally, a career site made for YOU!**

FINANCIAL LITERACY LESSONS IN PRACTICE: Students will now have to demonstrate an understanding of banking, taxes, loans and other concepts to graduate from high school in Oklahoma. Financial education has gotten more attention as concerns rise about student debt. But one lesson from Oklahoma so far is that the quality of such education can vary widely: Some schools are scrambling, using a computer-based curriculum shoehorned into other academic classes. A look at the implementation, and a quiz, from The Oklahoman: http://bit.ly/Mq5Fwd.

SENATE TAKES UP VETERANS BILL: The Senate will pick up debate on Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders’ veterans benefits bill today, which would — among other sweeping health care and mental health benefits — boost a host of education benefits for vets. It would guarantee in-state tuition from veterans who recently left the military, reauthorize the VA’s work-study program and instate a host of other reports and policy changes. http://1.usa.gov/1exSuRa.

— The bill would be the biggest benefits package for veterans in decades, but it doesn’t have a single Republican co-sponsor in the Senate and is expected to face tough odds in the House, where Republicans have in the past opposed the means the bill uses to pay for the benefits increase. More from Pro Defense: http://politico.pro/NsrU5B.

A POLITICO PERSONNEL NOTE: Congratulations to Pro Education editor Nirvi Shah on her promotion to deputy managing editor for policy: http://politi.co/Mq4rRF. And as some of you have probably heard, I have a new job too: http://bit.ly/Mq4wos. Keep sending news tips to me through March 7. Nirvi will be on the education beat until later this spring, so keep copying her too.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

— CompuGirls founder Kimberly A. Scott, omen and Gender Studies associate professor in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University, will be named a STEM Access Champion of Change at the White House on Wednesday.

REPORT ROLL CALL

— A college degree is clearly worth it for the majority of students, even though there will always be counterexamples and questions remain about whether that trend will continue. The Urban Institute: http://urbn.is/MWNwXH.

— Recommendations to expand and improve mentoring programs for children of incarcerated parents. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention: http://1.usa.gov/1h3qA3X.

SYLLABUS

— California community colleges are urging students to sign up for Obamacare before the March 31 deadline. The Los Angeles Times: http://lat.ms/MWMefk.

— Common Core opponents in Indiana say the state’s proposed new standards are still too Common Core-like, while some teachers urged the state to stick with Common Core. StateImpact Indiana: http://bit.ly/MWMifg.

— Florida releases individual teachers’ value-added scores, to the dismay of unions and the delight of some advocacy groups. Florida Times-Union: http://bit.ly/MWMxXJ.

— An attempt to overturn a California law that protects transgender students failed to gather enough signatures to qualify for the statewide ballot. Sacramento Bee: http://bit.ly/1lhyKZU Read more here: http://bit.ly/1fonicB

— One Florida school’s mantra for Common Core: Less is more. StateImpact Florida: http://n.pr/MWMH12

**A message from POWERJobs: Tap into the power of POWERJobs for the newest job opportunities in the Washington area from the area’s top employers, including U.S. Chamber of Commerce, AARP and Communities in Schools. Powered by names you trust — POLITICO, WTOP, WJLA/ABC-TV, NewsChannel 8 and Federal News Radio- POWERJOBS is the ultimate career site with more than 2 million job searches and nearly 17,000 applications submitted this year so far. Connect through Facebook or LinkedIn, search jobs by industry and set up job-specific email alerts using www.POWERJobs.com, the site for Washington’s top talent.**

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About The Author : Libby A. Nelson

Libby A. Nelson is an education reporter for POLITICO Pro and the author of Morning Education. Before joining POLITICO, she was a reporter at Inside Higher Ed, where she covered federal higher education policy – including Congress, the Education Department and higher education issues in the 2012 campaign -- and religious colleges. She got her start as an education reporter at the Chronicle of Higher Education, where she interned for nine months in 2009-10 and reported on federal policy, including sweeping student loan legislation included in the health care overhaul.

A 2009 graduate of Northwestern University, Nelson also interned on the metro desks of The New York Times, the St. Petersburg Times (now Tampa Bay Times) and the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune. Her first real job in journalism was in Scranton, Pa., where she worked as a regional reporter for the Times-Tribune. She grew up in suburban Kansas City and speaks fluent French.